NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, called for dialogue to ease tensions in the eastern Mediterranean and accused Turkey of violating the UN arms embargo imposed on Libya.
In an informal meeting for EU defence ministers held in Berlin on Wednesday, Stoltenberg said: “Turkey continues to obstruct NATO’s efforts to cooperate with the European Union in implementing the UN arms embargo and stopping the flow of weapons to Libya.”
Stoltenberg pointed out that “the alliance wants to reduce tensions in the eastern Mediterranean by engaging Turkey and Greece in dialogue. Turkey and Greece have both been important NATO allies for many years,” he said. “We need to find a way to resolve the situation in the eastern Mediterranean, based on the spirit of allied solidarity,” he added. The NATO Head also confirmed that he was “personally in regular contact with Ankara and Athens.”